While the invention is subject to a wide range of applications, it is particularly suited for enabling a dysfunctional patient to move about in a hospital or nursing home facility. In particular, a walker is disclosed including structure to support both the seat and torso of the person using the walker.
In the past, certain dysfunctional patients such as elderly persons in a hospital facility such as a geriatric ward, were unable to move about the facility without the help of an attendant. Still, these elderly patients require exercise in muscles of their lower extremities to keep their muscles toned and to prevent their muscles from becoming stiff. If such a dysfunctional patient were to attempt to move through the facility by themselves, they could injure themselves in a number of ways such as losing their balance and falling. For an elderly patient, a fall could result in a serious injury.
It has been known for small children to use walkers with wheels to propel themselves about using their legs and feet prior to developing the ability to walk independently. These child walkers are typically a frame with a seat having wheels attached thereto. The child is placed in the walker and supported by the seat. However, these walkers do not support the upper torso of the child.
Further, specialty walkers have been used for therapeutic reasons such as assisting a child having severe muscle or bone weakness in maintaining their walking.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a walker which overcomes some of the problems and shortcomings of the prior art, including those mentioned above.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a walker to enable a dysfunctional person to independently propel themselves through a hospital facility.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a walker which provides easy entry and exit for a dysfunctional person.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a walker which supports both the seat and upper torso of a person.
It is a yet further object of the present invention to provide a walker having a frame which is adjustable to accommodate persons of different sizes.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a walker which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture.
These and other important objects will be apparent from the descriptions of this invention which follow.